Tourism Authority hires ex-mayoral press secretary

Darren Pudgil, who last worked as former Mayor Jerry Sanders' press secretary, has been hired by the San Diego Tourism Authority to oversee media relations.

Pudgil, whose new title will be vice president of communications and public affairs, will earn $150,000 annually. When he left the city of San Diego last December after Sanders termed out as mayor, he was being paid $133,000 a year, said Pudgil, who will start Monday.

The communications post has remained unfilled since 2009 when the former Convention and Visitors Bureau eliminated it, along with several other jobs, because of a financially ailing tourism industry.

"There are a lot of issues facing the tourism industry, one of which is homelessness. A lot of tourists complain about the homeless population downtown," said Pudgil, who took time off traveling in the Caribbean before searching for a new job. "I'll work with different organizations that are trying to address this, and I'll also be working on the 2015 Balboa Park centennial and the convention center expansion.

"I received other job offers, and this was one at the top of the list. This is San Diego's signature industry and I feel priveliged to help the Tourism Authority grow that industry."